A royals editor for the now defunct "News of the World" tabloid, Clive Goodman, told a London court May 14 that he hacked the phones of Prince William and Kate Middleton. / Alastair Grant, AP

by Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

by Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

The former royals editor of a notorious British tabloid told a London court Wednesday that he had hacked Prince William's phone 35 times and Kate Middleton's 155 times.

Clive Goodman, 56, worked for the now defunct News of the World, which media mogul Rupert Murdoch shut down in the wake of a phone-hacking scandal.

The hacking uproar also led to allegations that journalists had bribed police for news tips.

Seven defendants are on trial in London in the scandal that caught fire over allegations that the phone of a missing teenager, Milly Dowler, was hacked even as police were searching for her in 2002. The 13-year-old girl later was found dead.

Goodman, who was jailed for four months in 2007 for accessing the voice mail of members of the royal staff, is charged with allegedly authorizing illegal payments to public officials.

He testified that he began hacking Middleton's voice mail in December 2005, five years before she married Prince William to become the Duchess of Cambridge, Sky News reports.

Goodman even told the court that he hacked her phone on Aug. 7, 2006, one day before he was arrested on allegations of phone hacking.

He testified that he also hacked Prince Harry's phone nine times, the BBC reports.

Rebekah Brooks, former editor of News of the World who later resigned as chief executive of News International, the British arm of Murdoch's media empire, is also on trial on charges of perverting the course of justice.

Andrew Coulson, another defendant, was editor of the News of the World until 2007. He resigned as communications director for British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2011 as the scandal unfolded.